If you can no longer care for your pet, we are here to help. We offer compassion to people who must surrender their pets and provide safe shelter to animals that come through our doors. If your pet is experiencing a challenging behavior we may be able to help you resolve the issue and keep your beloved pet. Check out our library of behavior resources and, if you need further assistance, consider contacting our Behavior Help Line before surrendering your pet. Schedule a Behavior Help Line appointment for a dog or for a cat.
If you attempt to schedule a Behavior Helpline appointment and find that you require more urgent behavior support, please reach out to us at 303.751.5772 and ask for an Emergency Behavior Helpline appointment.
What to Bring
- PET RECORDS – Bring a copy of your pet’s vaccination and veterinary records to your appointment.
- BEHAVIOR INFORMATION – Be prepared to discuss your pet’s daily habits and behaviors.
- SAFE TRANSPORTATION – Be sure that dogs are on leashes and cats or other small animals are in carriers.
Where to Go
We offer pet surrender services at these locations:
The Buddy Center in Castle Rock. Our Buddy Center team is available for pet surrenders 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.
The San Luis Valley Animal Center in Alamosa. Our San Luis Valley team is available for pet surrenders 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week.
The Leslie A. Malone Center in Denver. Our Malone Center team is available for pet surrenders 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week. Upon arriving at the Leslie A. Malone Center, please drive to the back (east side) of the building and look for the doors marked Pet Admissions.
We recommend that you make an appointment for pet surrender services. Appointments are not available same-day. We accept pet surrenders without appointments, but wait times may be longer. Those with appointments will be prioritized and others will be accommodated according or urgency and then on a first-come first-served basis.
Schedule an appointment to surrender your pet at the Buddy Center.
Schedule an appointment to surrender your pet at the Leslie A. Malone Center.
What happens to surrendered pets
Our goal is to find a loving home for every healthy and treatable pet in our care. We achieve this by gathering information about the pets that come into our shelters during the pet surrender process, so please be prepared to share everything you know about the pet. Although we can’t guarantee placement for any pet, we do not euthanize for time or space, and we are proud to have placed more than 17,000 pets last year.
What should I do if I found injured or orphaned wildlife?
If you find a wild animal, please refrain from touching and/or moving the animal before reading our Wildlife Resources page for helpful information.
What should I do if I can no longer care for my red-eared slider?
The Dumb Friends League is an open admission shelter that focuses on providing care for companion animals in our community. Over the past few years, we’ve seen a steady increase of red-eared sliders relinquished to the League. Red-eared sliders are an invasive species and do not qualify for rehabilitation or release programs. They are not companion animals and do not have placement options. Due to the potential impact from an ecological standpoint, accepting these turtles into our shelter is not ideal, and euthanasia is the only outcome we can provide for the red-eared sliders.
Learn more about the ecological impact of non-native turtles.
https://cnhp.colostate.edu/projects/non-native-animals/
Before bringing your red-eared slider to the League, please consider an alternative, such as rehoming, which can be done through community platforms like Nextdoor or Facebook.